Kmil reisky



(NoM-odel) E REISKY BOWLING ALLEY.

Patented Feb. 22

HA I

after nun; REIsKY, or socnns'rnn, new YORK, ASSIGNOR To i'nn -rennnswicunALKncoLLnNnEn COMPANY, or NEW YORK, N. r. a

eowuno atter;

WECIFICATION forming part Application filed January 9,"1 8 3- To u-llu-imm it may concern):

lie itknown that LEMIL REISKY, of Rochester, in the county of Monroe and State of New York, have invented a certain new and 5 useful Improvement in Bowling-Alleys; and I do hereby declare that the following is aiull, clear, and exact description of the same, reference hcinghad to the drawiu gs aceom panyin this application} l lily invention relates to the ball-track or ball-runway by which the halls are returned from the pit end to the players end of the alley; anditconsists in the novel construction which will he found hereinafter fully-der scribed, and which will he. most particularly pointed out in the claims of this specification. Prior to my invention it was customary in the construct ion of howling-alloys to have the hall-runway made in the form ofa trough,

ro nsuallyproyided near the pit end of the alley with some sort; of hopper or ball-cage into which'the balls were thrown or placed and having a downgradcor descent from the pit end to the players end of the alley, soitlmt r5 the balls would roll down by gravity, irnvcling, of course, with a continually-aceclernted speed until the cached the playing end of the alley, where they would "col-loot. either on asubstantiitlly level part of the hall-runway,

0 or in some suitable receptacle or receptacles,

from which the players could take the balls v for use in bowling, as required. This construction otlhc hall-runway, however, was "always objectionable, because of the impetus which the balls would necessarily acquire in approaching the playing end. ot the alley, which would he such that they would come together and smash up with considerableforcc, toithe great injury of the balls inthe no course of time, which would become broken or defaced by the pounding action on each other, especially at the vicinitic's of the linger-holes in the balls, as has always been 7, well icnown'nnd understood to those skilled 5 in the artof building howling-alleys undianiiliar with theusc thereof. By my invention I have overcome this serious objection, while at the same time providing for use a, ha 1 return-way which operates to effectuate go a rapidreturnof the balls from-the pit end to the playing end'of the alley, whileat the of Letters Patent its. weary, elated reentry 2c, 1898;

Serial NoAiEZBM. (No models) same time caus'i 12g the balls to reach their final destination with no material shocker pounjo ing of the balls against each other,

A secondary feature of my invention con- 55 I sists inlthc cm 'iloyment of means at the pit cud oil the alley by which the speed of the halls may be slightly rcgnlated'to compensate for the dillercnce'iu speed whichnaturallyarises d'uring the travel of' the wooden balls as on the wooden runways in different kinds of weathcrthat is, hen the atmosphere is either-very dry or very damp.

To accomplish the object of theprinnir part of my invention, I construct the ball runway with a descending portion beginnilt at the pit end of the alley, where the bal hopper or cage is located, (if one be used,) and runningthence toward the players end of the'alley, and also with an upwardly-inchnod or ascending portion at the vicinity of the playing end of thcalley, which upgradc," so to speak, takes the impetus or inertia out of tho balls-just before they are landed on the eitrcmc end portion of the runway, or 7'5 into or on that part of the runway or receptaole connected therewith from which they are to be selected or-picked out by the play crs for use inbowling.

In order to increase or diminish the initial velocity of the ball as it starts on'its run from the pit end of the alley, so as to compensate for the variations in the eonditio'ltof the at-' mospltcre', which operate to make the hall run either faster or slower, I provide the rcturn-way at the locality at which the balls are put into it by the pit-boys with a verticallyadjustable board or trough-like dcvicemhich by having its rearmost end set higher or lower to give it a greater or less degree of inclination, as circumstances may requirc,will start 0d the balls placed therein witha gren tcr or less velocity, as occasion may require.

In the drawings, Figure l is a View showing a side elevation of a hall rcturn-waynmdo according to my invention. Fig. 2 IS a diagramnmtical cross-sectional view of, a double alley having the vballreturn-way located intermediate of the two alloys or hallway-satire ball return-Whybeing. shown in elevation. too Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail view showing in longitudinalvertical section the pit-endpoi" a lion oi Lire boll relurn wny with its nalljnsh ohle trough or ball-receiver. Fig. l isa rear elevation oi the ports shown at Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a. simKarly-enlarged detail view showing 5 in vertical longitudinal scrli'on the ballroeciring and retaining end portion Lhe rerum-way or that portion loeatecl at l-he-ylnyers end of lhe ulley. Fig. 0 is n purtinlnlnn or top view of thaleml portion of the returnso we at the ririnity of the playing end. of the alloy and illustrniing pnrtieulurlythe. means by which the small balls. are'sepnrelorl from the larger ones. Fig. 7 iso (lei-oil cross-seetionel view showing the preferable orndapted 7 l5 shape in cross-se'otion of the bull return-way.

lh ihe drawings, A i the hall return-way, which consists of rileek-runway made, preferahly, in the silage of a shallow trough in eross seeiion, "l: seen m Figand of the 2o proper size to properly accommodate the largest size of lmlls used on i-ho howling-alley. This runway A, as shown is provided or, the extreme rear or pit. end of the alloy with on all jue'inhle bell trough or receiver B, the opera 1 5 lion-end function of whielrwill be preseno'iy described, and gradually descends choose, as

seen al 0, toward ihe floor of the alley anal, running toward the players end of the alley, preferably nearly quite parallel witlrtho floor, 0 then, in approaching the hull-terminal, passes obliquely upwn lLl or nscendsas shown at c,uniil it roaches an clevution.convenient fol-the reception and handling oil-he bolls by lhoplziyore, as seen at (I, on which portion 1? rho balls come to rest, the first one sent home for use coming into eonfneiwith and resting against (as usual) the stop-post, will: which the extreme end. of the return-way is connect-ell, as shown at Fig. 1. l n this figure the posit-lone? 40 the bolls 0n the rest or terminal portion 11 of the runway is illustrated llyylotterl circles at Fig. l, and his portion dis preferably slightly lower at its extreme emi or at the vicinity of rho slop-post, so that any halls once returned to ilhe' terminal end of the return-way will by gravity renmin there, the return-way at that point where the ascending portion 0 merges into the nearly horizontal part (1 being, however, formed or provided. with an no erture k, (see Figs. 5, (howl 1,) through which when are called the small bolls descend-or loll is they are returned lo the players end of ihe alloy onto a lower terminal reeepmolo or receiving and retaining trough E, as plainly illusirated by the LlOlLlOil circles at Fig. 511ml the smaller eireles lrawn. in lloitecl ,lines at Fig. I, n deflecting b03111 or tlQViCG. m: operoting, as clearly illustrateil, to break the frill or descent of the smaller balls or cou'setheni 0 lo descend through the opening k onto? tho reoeiving'trough or receptacle E with as little noise no possible 'mul without injury-to themselves by eoneussion, ull substantiallyniter the fashion of ihe menus employed prior fie-my invention for; a separation of the larger 'firom the smaller balls as lhgey' were sent home to the playing eml' of the alley by iphe old-fashioned construction oi hull rel urn-way; which, however, unlike mine, grmlnnlly. n3- ea.-i=-.ierl-froin lhe locality of the hull-hole icio iiurt point at the vicinity of the pit oi'llic niley at. which line bolls were put onin ihe' runway myinjgo the hopper or rage runneolc l therewith, end in which, unlike mine, cxisletl theilcl'eot of the rup'ul \llPSil'llifllUll of the pen wood than the balls) would soo rhnitrr unil crush away firewood or siuel; iii-this port of the runway (I, so that the latter would soon get out of repair, besides which this severe. unrldestruetire pounding of the poi tionxl 'by the hard. smaller balls would ninl-ze ihon'l'ley exceeclinglymoisy. This defect or objection, it will he soon, is wholly cured by the construction which I have licreinshown uni d6" scribed, in which the smaller balls (as well as the lergoron'es) have their reloeisy so retarded before they reach the opening I;- tlmtthey will simply fall through said opening without any hanging or pounding aguinst the rcnrmosr. poi-lion of the steel: in which the aperture is formed, as will he easily lllldGl'SlOOd by an in speeiion of the drawings and by those familiar with the subject):

lcleem ihprefernble to have the rnuwny made with its center portion, lengthwise, clepresscfi, as above mentioned, especially in cases where the runway may be locnied'bot eentwo lmilwnys or a-ll-cys, si'uee thereby the View of eitheralley of the hallway-and the playing thereon from ihe locnlity of the other. 'lmllwny or alley is not ohs'irucrerl, as in the case ofthe old-fashioned runway-mill more in this preferable form the relntive degrees of obliquity oi-ihe descending portion a and the ascending portion 0 should be such that with a given predetermined height of the terminal (I all Lhe balls put into the hopper or receptaclel at the pit and of the alloy will noquire in descending the portion (i of the runway a. sufficient velocity speedily as possible) Lo and up the aseomiing portion 0 of the runwnynnil land them on a terminal or receptacle (1 at the playing end of to carry them (as,

the alloy with the least possible velocity and so 't-hateseries of balls thus lnndocl on ihe'terinime will arrive i-horewiih little or no slloeieor concussi ve strain on either the bulls or the siop-postnt lhis end of the runway; but the relationship shown of the rlcsreiuliug portion a and ascending portionroMhu runway may ofoourse be varied from that l have shown and described, illltl some other precise form of lllD continuous runway may he adopted without tive degrees of obliquity that with a given,

elevation of the terminal d or receptacle to which the balls are to be delivered all. the

halls put onto the runway at the pit end of the alley will be delivered onto said "terminal or ball-receptacle at the players end of the alley without any material shock or concussive action, as above explained.

In practice the operation and effect is simply this, that the bzrllsstart from the pit end of the alloy in my improved return-way, and while they are sent home or delivered at the playing end oi? the alley as rapidly as desirable they travel fast from the time they leave the pit end of the alloy until they reach the ascending or upgrade portion 0 of the runway, which upgrade simply operates to check the speed of the balls or take out their inertia, so that they land on the terminal or re ceptacle cl with practically no speed, or, in

other words, without any momentum sumcieut to produce any injurious clfect on the balls.

As is well known to players and users of bowling-alleys, either from the clfecthn the hard wooden balls (which "are usually made .ofclignum-vitm) or onthc wooden trough-like return-way, or on both, of moisture in the at mosphere the balls always run more slug gishly in rery damp weather than they do in dry weather, and as it is the primary part of my invention to have the balls always landed with the least possible force at the terminal end of the runway I have found it desirable to construct the ruuwayso that in damp weather theballswill be started off at the pit end of thealley with a greater velocity than in very dry weather, and this end I accomplish by the use oi the adjustable ball trough or hopper 13, into the upper portion of which the balls are thrown by thepit boys. By having this hopper B adjustable at its highcrmost-end, so as to give it a. greater or loss degree of inclination, it will operate when its rear end is set at thehighest point of adjustment to start the balls elf faster than when its highermcst end-is adjusted to the lowermost position; and this adjustment of its rear end '1 have shown as effected by means of a setscrcw 8, '(see Figs. 1, 3, and 4,) by which its rearmost end maybe raised and lowered, the forward and lower end of the rough being hinged, as seen at g, Figs. 1 and 0, t0 the rearmost and uppermost extreme, of the hall-rum way proper.

Having now so fully explained my inven-' tion that those skilled in the art can make and use bowling-alley ball return-ways embody alley, which merges into the hall receiving and retaining terminal of the runway; all, in

such manner, as hereinbcforedescrilied, that the balls put into the receiving end of the runway will roll downwardly and toward the playing end of the alley and then, ascending the upgrade, or ascending, portion a oLthc runway, will pass thence onto the terminal, or ball-receptacle, at the players end of the return-way without much shock, or concussiou; as'herciubefore set forth.

2. In combination with the ball return way of a howling-alley, anf adj ustable ball hopper or trough, located he the pit end of the runway and adapted to he set at different de green of inclination, to effectuate the starting of the halls put, or thrown, into the hopper, with different degrees of velocity, as occasion may require; all substantially as and for the purpose hercinbcfore set forth,

3. In combination with a ball-runway, ofa bowling-alley,' which is'formed with an upgrade, or ascending portion, near the players end of thcalley, which operates to take the speed, or life, out of the hall sent home to the players end; and a substantially level terminal, or receptacle, (1, for the retention of the larger balls, at rest, or receptacle, E ar ranged beneath the one cl, for the acco'nmodation of the smaller halls; and. apex-forntion, or opening, 7;, in the uppcrterminal 1, through which the smaller balls are free to pass after having reached saidterininal, for

the purpose of the, accumulation of said smaller balls on the lower terminal E; all substaut-ially in the manner hereinbefore set forth.

Inwitness whereof I have hereunto signed my name in, the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

, EMU, REISKY, Witnesses:

R. F. Oseoon, Cans. A. Wmsnsn.

DISCLAIMER.

59f9A77.-Emil Ra's/.3 Roclwsti-r. New York .1 BoifiLIxg-ALLEY. Pan-m dated F eb-,

. Elm-11's it s (li.-ulaimer Tu disclaim such-part, if a.1i '.-0l"the said claim, (1) as would iucludv a rctui'nwziy by which Lluhoming 01' the ball was not accelerated; and cogfiuertlw claim to a con- ,mlruction which sci'uies greatly increased spam in the return of the ball. from the pit concussion of tlw rnpidlv. horned balls; all Substantially as sot-forth in said pzitvnr."- 

